Trip ’15-’16 – Page 5

Isla Coiba

Isla Coiba was everything we expected it to be, and a bit more. This is the tour operator. Basically a bunch of bricks with a sign on it, but a good reputation, so we went with it.

It was a bit of a rough start, as once we wandered over to where the boat was moored, they discovered the battery was dead. We all stood around and introduced ourselves for a little while until a guy strolled up the beach with a boat battery on his shoulder. There were seven of us that set out in the morning, three from Germany, two from Austria (one half Japanese/Polish, and odd combination), and us, the old farts in the middle of the boat (where the good seats are, and where you get put when you help push the boat out against an incoming tide). Read more “Isla Coiba” →

Trip '15-'16

Santa Catalina

This is now our second day at Santa Catalina. The internet was rough the first little while, it’s a little better here, so I’ll fill you in now that I can. Pictures will have to wait, we have some, but blame the connection. Uploading them is probably best done early in the AM when I’m usually drinking coffee.

The road here, that comes off the still under construction Panamerican Highway, was a little hard to find, and we drove right past it. With all the confusion, it’s understandable. Read more “Santa Catalina” →

Trip '15-'16

Tan and Done

This is going to cover a few days, mostly because we were so exhausted at the end of every day that blogging was the furthest thing from our minds. With that in mind, this post is quite the tome. I hope you’ll understand.

Going back a few days, we decided that because I was still waking up at 5:30 or so, we’d head back to the car to get our kit. I happen to like getting up early when it’s quiet, no one else is awake, I can catch up on the world via the interwebs, and watch the sun rise as the world comes to life. Doing that without coffee, however, is intolerable. If any part of my morning is ritualistic, it’s my morning coffee. The restaurant here doesn’t open until 7:30, so on Sunday we took a water taxi back to the mainland, got our kit, some water, and a few munchies. Read more “Tan and Done” →

Trip '15-'16

More Boca

Lots of pics from yesterday. Here’s some of the restaurant.

The restaurant is NOT what it used to be. Across the street from the pension in David, we could get a two scoop ice-cream cone for 65c. Here, you get it in a sundae cup (woo), and it’s 3 buks. It was always expensive here, but that is bending you over. Read more “More Boca” →

Trip '15-'16

Boca Brava

We got out of David early enough, which is always a good thing. Getting going before the madness begins goes a long way towards getting where you want to be, and you just never ever know what you are going to run into.

The road between Santiago and David is being redone, so there are a lot of stops and starts, switching back and forth side to side, and rough patches followed by brand new runs. From David to the turnoff to Hornocito took us an hour. From there, it’s a leisurely drive down through Hornoncito, where you take a right, and onto Boca Chica, the port across from Boca Brava.

Getting close to to coast, there are a few nice views.

Once in Boca Brava, you find a place to park the car, drag all your gear down to the dock, and get a water taxi over to the island. Read more “Boca Brava” →